photo tent

[Mark Pruitt]

Where's a good place to look for a photo tent? I'd rather stay away from ebay. Several of you do really nice pics and I'd like to think about ways to improve my own. I know that you can also use a piece of fabric, but I'm unclear as to what kind of fabric and how to secure it in position, etc. I've seen some SMC threads that deal with this but cannot seem to find them when I search.

[Lee DeRaud]

I'm not fond of Ebay either, but I found good deal there: search on "light cube", the 24" is plenty big enough for turnings. Pricing was a bit odd ($5 'buy it now' with $20 shipping), but that was for an item that retails at camera shops for $60+.

(And yes, eventually I'll spring for some decent lights to use with it and find the USB cable for my 'good' camera and... :p )

[skip coyne]

Ive got one of these http://store.tabletopstudio-store.com/ezlite.html

I bought it off ebay 3 or 4 years ago , I have the 30" model , works great

[Keith Burns]

Ebay is the way to go. I have the 30" cube and honestly I wish I'd gone a little bigger. I think I paid about $35 including shipping.

[Raymond Overman]

Mark, What about a little handywork and save some money.

Try this on... http://www.pbase.com/wlhuber/light_box_light_tent

I used an old PVC hamper that had the joints and pipe and resized it to work for mine. I use a grey paper background instead of blue. I used the aluminum work lights with 100W daylight spiral flourescents in them instead of the table lamps but either would work. Here's a few examples of the pictures I've made using it.

The key is to use the right amount of light and not get reflections in the front of your piece while eliminating as much hard shadow as possible. Sometimes I use one light and sometimes I use two.

[Dave Richards]

Making a tent or box is pretty simple. Use a translucent fabric for the background instead of paper and run the fabric down as you would for a seamless paper background. For a base use a piece of clear Acrylic or Lexan. You can then put lights behind and below to control shadows. By adjusting their intensity relative to the lights on the object, you can either eliminate or just reduce the shadows. Make your exposure for the object without the background.

If you want a colored background put colored film over the background lights. Adjust the intensity of the background lights, front lights and exposure to adjust the color intensity.

[skip coyne]

Ebay is the way to go. I have the 30" cube and honestly I wish I'd gone a little bigger. I think I paid about $35 including shipping.

just looked at ebay and WOW prices have dropped , when I bought mine they where a new item , I searched ebay and the web and the EZ was it I paid around 100 with shipping .

the do it your self one looks good also

the nice thiing about the one I have is it has a flexible frame and folds easily also set up is easy . wifey does most of the picture taking so thatss- a big plus

for backgrounds wall mart has colored poster board cheap , thats what we use

[Mark Pruitt]

Mark, What about a little handywork and save some money.

Try this on... http://www.pbase.com/wlhuber/light_box_light_tent

Raymond, that's actually right up the alley of what I'm looking to do. I was going to look for the photographer at work today and pick his brain, but this looks like a perfect solution for me so I'll leave him alone. I can hear him sighing relief already.:p Thanks!!!

[Keith Burns]

Mark, I'll offer a couple of thoughts for consideration. I built a pvc tent like has been discussed when I started. I did not/do not have a place to leave mine permanently set up. Became a real pain to set up and tear down. With the cube it folds up (just like a bandsaw blade) and is easy to set up and take down. Also you don't have to mess with sheets, etc. as they are permanently attached. Your background is easy to put in and change, just velcroed. If you were closer I'd give you my pvc parts.

[Jim Becker]

RitzCamera.com just advertised a tent with two lights for about a hundred bucks if you don't want to build and don't like the other options.

[Dave Richards]

Oh no! Not the Evil Empire. :eek:


RitzCamera.com just advertised a tent with two lights for about a hundred bucks if you don't want to build and don't like the other options.

:D

[Jim Becker]

Well, Dave...at the time, they had the best deal on the D70 and I've actually had excellent service from them when I have ordered. Not always the lowest price, but low on risk, too.

[Mark Pruitt]

I don't quite get the "Evil Empire" thing, sounds like a running joke from a while back:confused: .....Anyway, I went to the BORG last night and picked up some 1/2" PVC and fittings, and picked up some colored background material from the craft store. The PVC seems like it will hold together with just a friction fit, so I can disassemble it when not in use and store it in one of those mail tube thingys from OfficeMax. Pics coming soon (I hope!).:D

Jim, that deal does look pretty decent, but they do not give the size of the tent. I even googled it to see if someone else had that info. Came up empty. Oh well....I already have a tripod and can improvise on lighting.

Thanks guys. Helpful as always.

[Sean Troy]

I just finished making one 36x36 out of PVC. Also just friction fit for easy take down and storage. I hang the seamless paper roll on the back top cross pipe and just pull down the right amount of paper for that particular session. For the diffusor material, I bought some white cotton fabric for about 5 dollars, fit it to the booth and hold in place with velcro each bottom end. I made the larger size so I can photograph large platters and any size less. Including the seamless paper, I have around 50.00 in the booth and enough paper to last the rest of my life.

[Dave Richards]

The "evil empire" thing is an inside joke among a number of folks who used to work for them including myself. I probably shouldn't have referenced it.

[Mark Pruitt]

...but I'm gonna win.:rolleyes:

I cut the pieces and set up the tent last night, but I guess I need different lights or a different sheet, or both. I'm using the lights that you clamp in place for temporary jobs--the ones that are about 7-8" diameter and sort of bell-shaped. The sheet is an ordinary bed sheet. If I fold the sheet over, it blocks enough light to obscure the object being photographed. If I use the sheet unfolded, it allows enough light to cause a glare where you can see the bulb's reflection in the finish.

Any tips would be appreciated!

[Dave Richards]

Mark, try moving the lights back a bit. They'll cover a larger area that way. Or bounce the light off a large white card.

[John Terefenko]

I just looked at ebay for photo tents and either I am missing something but everyone was selling them for around $20 for a 30" cube. Is this a cheap tent or should I be looking elseware?? Where did you all get yours and what size is good??